Comparison of the effectiveness of acupuncture treatment and local anaesthetic injection for low back pain: a randomised controlled clinical trial

Objective:To compare the effectiveness of repeated acupuncture stimulation and local anaesthetic injection at the most painful points in patients with low back pain.Method:This randomised controlled clinical trial involved 26 patients with low back pain randomly allocated to either an acupuncture group (n = 13) or a local anaesthetic injection group (n = 13). Both acupuncture and anaesthetic injection were performed at two to five of the most painful points on the lower back once weekly for 4 weeks. In the acupuncture group, a 0.18 mm diameter stainless steel needle was inserted to a depth of 10–20 mm and manual stimulation was applied. In the local anaesthetic injection group, a 0.5 mm diameter needle was inserted to a depth of 10–20 mm and a local anaesthetic was injected. Participants evaluated pain using a Visual Analogue Scale immediately before and after the first treatment, before each subsequent treatment, and at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after completion of treatment.Results:There was a significant difference between the two groups in the change in Visual Analogue Scale pain scores (p